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Electrifying Your Dollhouse

Electricity in your dollhouse is a self adhesive dual strip of copper called tape wire. You will begin by drawing a line on all the walls at 1 1/2” above the floors. (The given dimensions are for 1" = 1' or 1/12th or 1 inch scale houses). For 1/2" = 1', use half of these dimensions.

On the first story, apply the tape under this line starting at one side and continuing to the outside of the house. Maken sure you have enough tape on the outside to double or triple fold it apon its self. Run the tape through the interior doorways. Continue the tape around the outside of the house for about 3”.

On the outside wall, you want to hammer the junction splice into the tape wire. There are two nails in the bottom of the junction splice, and a screw which goes all the way from the top through the junction splice. Position the junction such that each nail goes into a copper strip and the screw goes in between. You will notice the two small holes in the end of the junction splice- this should be positioned toward the back of the house.

Locate your lead-in wire and your transformer, transformers are available in different sizes to accommodate the number of lights that you want in your dollhouse. The two horseshoe shaped feet at the end of your lead-in wire (the techie term is bifurcated lugs) are inserted under the two screws on the transformer and screwed in. It does not matter which foot goes under which screw. On the other end of your lead-in wire, the two prongs go into the two holes in the junction splice. Then you can plug your transformer into your wall outlet.

Now you should have power in the tape wire. To see this, locate your test probe and take off the cover. When the two pins are pushed into the copper wire, the other end lights up, if there is power.

When you want ceiling lights, with another piece of tape wire, starting by the floor crossing the installed tape wire and run it up the wall going to the middle of the ceiling. The second piece of tape wire goes on the ceiling from front to back, crossing the first piece. Place this centered in the room.

A connections is your next step. To keep the power connected through an intersection, you will need to locate your small eyelets and we will be using a tool to install them. The eyelets fit on the small end of the tool. The tool is spring loaded to help you install the eyelet. Make sure the tool is positioned so that the eyelets will go into the tape where pink crosses pink and blue crosses blue, (one at a time) to prevent a short. IMPORTANT: BE SURE TO TURN OFF POWER WHILE MAKING CONNECTIONS AND OUTLETS to extend the bulb life.

Now that your first connection is made, again using your test probe, poke it into the tape wire after the connection and if your house is plugged in, the test probe should light up. Continue to run tape, make connections and test.

To continue to electrify the house, you need to take more tape wire and start at one side of the second floor and go through all the second floor room (going through doorways) and ending up outside the house, above the junction splice. Run a strip of tape wire from next to your junction splice up the wall crossing over the second floor tape.

Make connections at both ends of this strip of tape. Now test the vertical strip and the far end of the second floor tape.If the outside of your house is already finished, stop the tape wire at the back edge of the room, and run the tape from the first to the second floor by going through the stairway hole.

To complete the first floor, you may need to run two strips of tape wire vertically, one on each side of the door and a third strip crossing those two horizontally above the door.

If you would like to be able to install wall sconces on a wall, run a strip of tape horizontally with the top of the tape 5 1/2” above the floor. Connect this to the tape you previously ran 1/12" above the floor.

Once the house is completed and working interior decorating is next. After wallpapering is complete, but before baseboards, outlets can be installed with a plug-it tool simular to the connect-it, simply by using your test probe to locate tape wire through the wallpaper and pushing the large eyelets and plug tool into the tape wire. Then test.

OUTSIDE LIGHTING

Drill 1/16“ hole through wall ( about 5 1/2“ above floor). Cut plug off lamp. Feed wires through hole and glue lamp to outside of house. Cut wire to 1“ longer than needed to reach tapewire. Strip about 3/4“ of insulation from end of wire (use fingernail and thumb). Poke hole in each copper strip of tapewire using pushpin. Insert end of wire into hole (one in each). Insert small eyelet or brad into hole with wire. Only push it about ½ way in. Wrap the rest of the bare wire around eyelet. Hammer the eyelet the rest of the way in. Run a strip of tape over the wire to hold it to the wall.